Cracked Reflections
by Moon Faery
Summary: What would have happened if the original Heero Yuy hadn't been assasinated? Peace, perhaps... but at what cost? 1x2x1, Yaoi, Death, Angst, et cetera
1. Prologue: Through the Glass

Cracked Reflections Prologue/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Through the Glass  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: Can you guess? O.o;; Really. Think about it a  
little...  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes.  
(Can't say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Yaoi, Angst, AU in a weird way, violence, death  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: It looks almost like a re-play of "It's a  
Wonderful Life"... But I know that it can't be, because  
I've never seen the movie. And I intend to keep it that  
way. (grin)  
*** AC 195 ***  
  
Duo slid out of bed carefully, moving slowing to avoid  
disturbing the sleeping body next to him. Heero moved in  
his sleep, snuggling up against Duo's pillow and wincing as  
the bandages on his ribs tugged the wound. Brushing his  
bangs out of his face, Duo walked across the room and sat  
at the vanity, heedless of his nudity. His hair swept out  
behind him like a silky cloak, dancing across his thighs  
and tickling the back of his knees. It had been in the room  
when they'd rented the apartment, and neither had found the  
time to remove it. He stared into the mirror on it, eyes  
huge and dark in his pale face, Behind him, Heero stirred  
again, shifting the sheets enough that Duo could see the  
blood begin to seep its way through the bandages.  
  
The last mission he'd been sent on had gone sour.  
Everything from Gundam malfunctions to obvious sabotage had  
made it rank up on the list of their worst ventures yet,  
even worse than the time Heero had taken out that ship-load  
of pacifists. And, as usual, his lover had been right in  
the middle of it all, earning himself several broken bones,  
a minor concussion and a gash along his side and rib cage  
that was bound to leave one hell of a scar.  
  
They'd patched him up as best as they could, but it was  
no substitute for a real doctor and a clean hospital. Heero  
had insisted that he was fine, but Duo saw the way he moved  
carefully and grimaced when he thought no one was looking.  
His love was seriously injured, and he couldn't do a thing  
to help other than watch and hope.  
  
But they were all starting to have problems. More than  
once he'd had to spend the night in Quatre's bed,  
comforting the blonde when he woke up screaming with the  
horrors. A week ago Wufei's knee started to make disturbing  
cracking sounds, and now he limped on it occasionally.  
Everyday Trowa found it harder to make those amazing flips  
of his, and Duo himself had long since stopped counting his  
own aches and war injuries. Most of them he didn't even  
remember getting; for all he knew, they could have been  
from his childhood on L2.  
  
They were old- old at fifteen and getting older with  
every battle, every blown building, every innocent life  
lost because of what they fought for. 'Even the OZ soldiers  
don't deserve to die in this God forsaken war,' he thought  
ruefully, still staring himself in the eyes. 'Hell, most of  
them are just trying to feed their families. At least we've  
got a cause. They just get a paycheck.'  
  
It was all because the first Heero Yuy'd been  
assassinated. If he hadn't have died, the war never would  
have happened.  
  
"Damnit all," he whispered, reaching out his right hand  
to brush the reflection's left one. "Just this once, I wish  
I could change the past... Just this once..."  
  
*** 


	2. Finishing the Job

Cracked Reflections 1/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Finishing the Job  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings:... Overall 1x2, but it's not obvious if you   
only read the middle parts. ^^;;  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes.  
(Can't say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Yaoi, Angst, AU in a weird way, violence, death,  
suicide  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: Don't bother looking up all these classes  
and Treaties. I made 'em up. And, just in case you   
can't tell, this is Heero's story.  
*** April 7th AC 175 ***  
  
A soft wind blew through his hair as he sighted his gun  
on the man down below him on the street. Every step of the  
man was followed with a hawk's eye, waiting for shot to  
open up. And then there it was. The man made a quarter turn  
to the right, exposing his chest. Expertly, the assassin  
narrowed his eyes, finger squeezing the trigger gently.  
Three bullets shattered the air, the sound making people  
scream. The victim looked up at the last second, eyes  
widening in terror. IN that brief moment, his foot caught  
on a loose paving stone, jerking him to the side just as  
the bullets hit.  
  
"Mr. Yuy!" a man with brown hair yelled in shock,  
kneeling down by the fallen man's side. "Someone, catch the  
gunman! Call the medics!" He felt for the pacifist's pulse,  
sighing in relief when he found it strong under his  
fingers. Of the three bullets, only one had made a direct  
hit, embedding itself in its victim's left shoulder. "He's  
alive," Master Winner breathed softly, closing his eyes.  
"Thank God, he's alive."  
  
"Master Winner!" someone called urgently. "That assassin  
has been caught!"  
  
Winner nodded vaguely. "Good. Hold him." His mind wasn't  
on the prisoner, or the sound of the ambulance arriving in  
the background. He was thinking of only one thing.  
  
'Heero Yuy's alive...'  
*** AC 184 ***  
  
"What do you mean?" the woman screamed, beating on the  
chest of the tall soldier that was restraining her. "You  
can't arrest me, I have a family!"  
  
The soldier just shook his head sternly, even though his  
eyes showed more than a little sympathy. "I am sorry Ma'am,  
but under the New Revised Disarmament Treaty, you have to  
be taken in for questioning." He grabbed her wrists and  
slapped a pair of handcuffs onto them.  
  
The woman continued crying, deep blue eyes reddening. "I  
haven't done anything to be questioned for!" she protested,  
trying to pull away. Her long black hair swished around her  
lower back as she shook her head in denial.  
  
"Provision 164.26.54 paragraph B listed yesterday as the  
final day to turn in all weapons, sport or otherwise, for  
destruction. You are registered as the owner of a Class C-  
17 handgun, purchased for protection purposes. You did not  
hand in your weapon by the set date, and are therefore in  
violation of the law and are to be interrogated as a  
suspected terrorist."  
  
At the word 'interrogated', the woman went pale, and  
looked as if she was going to faint. She gathered her  
backbone and stared the soldier straight in the eye, knees  
trembling. "What about my son?"  
  
"He will be raised in accordance to law, and handed over  
to the United Earth Sphere Orphanage for education and  
upbringing."  
  
"NO!" Everyone drew back slightly at the sound of her  
suddenly forceful voice. "I'm not handing my son over to be  
brainwashed and trained to grovel at that bastard Yuy's  
feet!"  
  
The captain of the squad stepped forward and slapped her  
sharply across the cheek. "You have no choice, woman!" he  
growled. "Never speak of Heero Yuy like that again!"  
  
Her head snapped to the side under the weight of the  
blow, but she brought it around to glare balefully at the  
gathered troops. "I'll say anything I damn well want to,"  
she hissed, eyes darkening with something that was far from  
sanity. "He stole my husband from me, all for his God  
damned PEACE!" she spat in the Captain's face. "If peace  
means tyranny, I'd rather die cleanly in a war!"  
  
The captain reached up and wiped the spit from his face.  
He turned on his heel and marched out of the room, pausing  
in the doorway. "Kill her."  
  
"What?" The youth holding the woman looked startled. "But  
sir-"  
  
"You heard me!" the Captain snapped. "She resisted arrest  
and attempted assault using lethal force. Kill her."  
  
"Sir, she did no such thing!" the soldier protested,  
loosing his grip on the woman involuntarily.  
  
She felt the tiny bit of freedom and ripped away from her  
captor, throwing herself on the Captain. "Haruki! RUN!" she  
screamed, wrapping herself around the man. A small figure  
in green pajamas shot past them, tripping as the Captain  
reached out and grabbed his ankle.  
  
Haruki cried out and fell to the floor. A jagged piece of  
wood that used to the door sliced through the tender skin  
over his eye, leaving a gash that traveled directly over  
his eye and down his left cheek. His mother screamed in  
rage and kneed the man in the groin, watching in  
satisfaction as he let go and curled around his pain.  
  
"Haruki, run!" she called. The little boy climbed to his  
feet, casting a terrified glance at his mother with  
intensely blue eyes. His wildly messy hair fell into his  
eyes, almost hiding the weeping red tears that flowed down  
from his left eye.  
  
"I'll be fine, Baby," she whispered. "I'll always be with  
you. Go. Now."  
  
Haruki nodded and raced off into the night, vanishing  
into the shadows like a ghost.  
*** AC 195 April 7***  
  
The youth known only as Killer slipped through the  
shadows like he'd been reborn in them. In a way, he had  
been. Every movement was calculated to make no noise, and to  
avoid alarms and traps. Eventually, he made his way to the  
top of the building, illegal sniper riffle slung over his  
shoulder.  
  
'Peace is the only way to the future...'  
  
Killer snorted softly and set up his gun for the best  
angle. 'That's what you said then, bastard,' he thought  
venomously, face twisting with hatred. 'Let's see how  
pretty you sing that song now...' He finished the set up  
and got into position, sighting directly along the path his  
target was going to take.  
  
Right on schedule, Heero Yuy stepped out of his limo. On  
his head rested a small crown, the only symbol be wore that  
signified his recent elevation to the King of the Earth  
Sphere. He'd been wearing it ever since the Sanc Kingdom,  
the last fighters against his 'peaceful' policies, fell in  
an extremely suspicious coup d'etat the year before.   
  
Waving to the crowd, the king smiled graciously and  
stepped onto the red carpet. One perfect blue eye sighted  
along the riffle muzzle, the other one narrowing slightly.  
Killer fought off a wince as the old scar over his left eye  
pulled slightly at the movement, instead brushing a strand  
of his messy, long dark brown hair back over his shoulder  
and tucking it into the ponytail holder.  
  
Heero Yuy raises his head proudly, smiling benignly at  
his worshipers and beginning the long march down the red  
carpet. Killer's lips tightened in a grim smile. "Time to  
finish the job," he whispered nasally, pulling the trigger.  
"No mistakes."  
  
Red spattered across the ground as the single bullet  
found its home directly in the heart of the pacifist king.  
Once there, it exploded, creating a gaping hole in the  
center of his chest. Heero Yuy had time to look up and see  
the dead eyes of his killer before slumping to the ground,  
dead.  
  
"Get the assassin!" someone screamed. The chaos below  
became semi-orderly as it was organized to find the killer.  
Above the panic, Killer grinned coldly, eyes soft against  
his weather-tanned skin. "I did it mother," he whispered,  
ears barely registering the sound of booted feet on the he  
stairwell.  
  
'I know, Baby,' someone whispered in his ear. Killer  
looked up. A beautiful woman hovered in the air over the  
street, black hair swirling around her like a cloak. Her  
blue eyes were soft as she regarded the boy. 'My little  
Haruki,' she murmured.  
  
Behind him, people burst through the door. "STOP!"  
  
Killer/Haruki stared at the vision. "Mother?" he asked,  
voice wavering.  
  
'Yes, Baby,' she answered, holding out her arms. 'Come to  
Mommy, Haruki.'  
  
Killer/Haruki turned to glare at the soldiers behind him.  
Suddenly he laughed and stepped backwards onto the ledge of  
the skyscraper, light shining through his blue eyes.  
Spreading his arms, he tilted his head back to look at the  
sky and let himself fall.  
  
'Mother...'  
*** 


	3. Poisoned Hearts

Cracked Reflections 2/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Poisoned Hearts  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: Can you guess? O.o;; Really. Think about it a  
little...  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes.  
(Can't say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Yaoi, Angst, AU in a weird way, suggested   
violence, death, suggested NCS, prostitution, suicide,   
drugs  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: I have absolutely NO idea what it's like to be a  
prostitute (a fact for which I am extremely grateful), so please  
don't take any of this at face value. ^^;; I did my best, but I  
glossed over a lot, just because I'm neither good at not  
comfortable with writing things like that. Just fill in the  
missing bits with your imagination, please. ^^;; Another note:  
I'm assuming that the currency values have changed in 200-  
something years or more, so if the amounts used sound off,  
they're supposed to!  
*** AC 187 ***  
  
Sister Helen followed the suit-clad man out the door. "This is  
a church, you can't do this!" She grabbed his arm, tears  
streaming down her cheeks. "Where will our wards go? No other  
church on L2 will take them in!"  
  
The man shrugged and turned to glare down at the young nun,  
tilting his sunglasses down his nose to do so. "Ma'am, you have  
three weeks to ship the brats off somewhere else, whether it's  
to families or the streets. They're no longer the state's  
concern." He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a handful  
of papers, shoving them under Helen's nose. "You were going to  
loose funding in three months anyways."  
  
Helen snatched the papers, eyes widening as she deciphered the  
legalese. "Orphanages, free clinics, soup kitchens..." Her jaw  
dropped slightly. "No longer supported by the government! What's  
this nonsense?" She threw the documents on the ground, anger  
flashing in her normally placid eyes.  
  
The man shrugged. "They encourage poverty and willful  
hopelessness. The plan was approved and supported by Heero Yuy."  
  
"Get. Off. This. Property," Helen ground out slowly, advancing  
on the man and pushing him backwards, out the door. "I never  
want to see your face again."  
  
The beauracrat grinned sickly, but backed out the door. "Not  
very godly a thing to do, Sister, kicking a man out of a church."  
  
"The Lord commands up to help the less fortunate," Sister  
Helen snarled. "And people like you are what makes it so  
difficult." She slammed the door in his face.  
  
"Sister..." A small boy with his chestnut hair pulled back in  
a braid scrambled over to her, wrapping his thin little arms  
around her leg. "Are you 'kay?"  
  
She smiled down at Duo softly before her face crumbled.  
Kneeling, she gathered the little boy in her arms and began  
sobbing brokenly. "Oh, Duo..." she choked out. You know how much  
we love you, right?"  
  
Duo's dark eyes closed as he hugged the only mother he'd ever  
known. Something told him that this question was more important  
than it sounded "Yeah, Sister, I know..."  
*** AC 190 ***  
  
"Get back here, you little punk!"  
  
Duo ducked behind a building, breathing shallowly even though  
his lungs were screaming for air. His ten year-old frame  
trembled with exhaustion, but he never stopped moving. He knew  
the fate that waited for him, hidden behind the smiling faces of  
spokes people and the nice-sounding words. No matter how hungry  
or cold or sick he got, nothing was worth having part of his  
brain cut out and his balls chopped off.  
  
"Come here, brat!" the government agent snarled, peering  
through the dank alley. "You know the deal: food, warm clothes  
and shelter, but you have to come with us!" The Peace Keeper  
banged around at the mouth of the alley, obviously trying to  
flush the boy out of hiding.  
  
Duo froze for a brief second before slipping through an  
unlocked door. He shut and leaned against the wall, barely  
feeling himself from gasping for air. In the cul de sac he heard  
the man curse and stumble out into the main street, looking for  
easier prey. He sighed, letting his eyes drift closed for a  
second.  
  
"Well, what've we got he'e..?"  
  
His eyes flashed open, violet depths darkening to midnight  
blue as they settled on a group of twenty or so people. Most of  
them were wearing rags, like he was, but they all exuded a  
confidence that reeked to Duo's street-wise senses of one thing:  
a gang. And he had walked right into it.  
  
"Hey, kid," one of them grinned sickly, icy green eyes  
narrowing at Duo. He stepped forward, out of the protection of  
the group. The short braided boy shrank back, knowing danger  
when he saw it. "What're ya doin' here? This's our warehouse."  
  
"I- I din't mean to..." Duo's knees began to quiver. "I-"  
  
"But you did," the Leader pointed out, taking another step  
forward. "You came in here widout even knockin'. You owe us,  
kid."  
  
"I-I don' ha-" Duo began to stutter out. He reached behind him  
for the doorknob, only to find that there wasn't one.  
  
Leader grinned again, moving so close that Duo could feel  
something sickeningly hard and hot pressing against his chest  
through his thin shirt. He tilted his chin up to look Leader in  
the eye, doing his best to ignore the chuckles of the rest of  
the gang.  
  
"We'll think of somethin'," Leader almost purred, reaching out  
to grab Duo by his hair. The young boy screamed as he was  
assaulted.  
  
Hours later, Duo's unconscious body was dumped on the far side  
of the colony, battered and bleeding from the vicious gang  
raping and multiple beatings that had followed. Beside him on  
the ground was his hair, crudely hacked off with a knife and  
tied at both ends.  
*** AC 192 ***  
  
Duo slid sideways between the cargo crates, fighting the  
changing gravity levels. He'd gotten lucky to find a ship headed  
to Earth that hadn't complied with the new laws about oxygen and  
gravity levels in cargo holds yet. His chin length hair  
alternately rose and fell as the ship adjusted its course and  
threw the ancient gravity-generator out of wack. It sputtered  
and coughed, but somehow managed to continue working.  
  
He pushed his way to the very back of a large pile of crates.  
It was going to be a long trip to Earth...  
*** AC 195 April 7 ***  
  
A slight pain directly over his heart made Duo pause in the  
middle of the sidewalk. He gasped, eyes bugging out slightly as  
the pain ripped through him like a knife before vanishing,  
leaving only a ghost of sadness and pain. He came back to  
himself to find his forehead pressed against the cracked and  
dirty glass of a run-down electronics shop. In front of him, a  
old black and white television was turned to the news. The words  
"Urgent Update" flashed over the bottom of the screen in red  
letters. "... leader Heero Yuy has just been assassinated  
minutes ago. His killer..."   
  
Duo paused to watch the newscast for a second as he ran by,  
tattered jacket wrapped around his skinny frame. On the dirt-  
streaked screen, a boy with raggedly cut bangs and long  
chocolate-brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail glared back at  
him from a small window beside the newscaster's head.   
  
"...committed suicide just seconds ago, almost immediately  
after firing the shot. He threw himself off a 100 story  
skyscraper, and is believe to have been the assassin known only  
as Killer, who is believed to have killed Master Edwin[1]  
Winner..." Duo caught himself staring at the image of the boy on  
the screen. He raised his hand to trace the scar that lead down  
the assassin's cheek, the frost-tinged glass sending shivers of  
cold down his fingertips. The boy was beautiful, but he had a  
lost, stolen look of pain that made Duo smile sadly underneath  
his cheap makeup and heavy lipstick. 'I hope you're happier  
where you are now, buddy. I really do.' Turning from the image  
of the dead man, he started jogging, wrapping his jacket tightly  
around him. It barely blocked the icy wind, but it was better  
than what other people had to make do with, a fact for which he  
was grateful.   
  
He managed to make it to his usual street corner just before  
someone else claimed it. He received several glares from other  
street walkers as they moved on past him, continuing their  
search for a good spot to off their services.   
  
It was a long, cold wait for business. Part of the attraction  
of this particular corner was that it was nearly deserted, which  
made it easier to avoid the Peace Keepers who constantly  
patrolled for prostitutes and the homeless.  
  
Just when Duo was about to give up, a dark-colored car turned  
the corner, lights on low. It pulled up beside Duo, and the  
passenger side window rolled down. Duo sauntered up to the  
window, bending over to stare at the man inside with a heavy-  
lidded look. "What'll it be?"  
  
The man eyed Duo's skinny frame, the exposed flesh slightly  
blue from the cold. "How much?"  
  
"Twenty an hour, forty if you want something exotic, and I'll  
decide what that is," Duo answered flatly, eyes hardening. "I  
don't do multiples, and you use a condom or you find someone  
else."  
  
The man nodded. "Get in."  
*** 3 hour later ***  
  
Duo kicked the dead man's body, stumbling over to the toilet  
and throwing up. He only had a few minutes before the Peace  
Keepers arrived to investigate the gunshot. He swallowed,  
fighting back the urge to wretch again as the world spun in  
front of his eyes. Before he felt himself moving, he was on his  
knees and leaning against a water-stained wall of the cheap  
motel's bathroom, his completely ruined shirt slipping off his  
shoulder. The tile was cold against his back and legs. The  
thought crossed his drug-fogged mind that he should have at  
least remembered to pull on his shorts before killing the  
bastard.  
  
"Damnit, ya just had to pump me full of shit, din't ya?" he  
growled at the corpse in the other room, feeling his heart  
stutter as the drugs began to spread through his system. "I  
ain't livin' as no druggie," he murmured, fumbling around on the  
linoleum tile blindly. His hand closed on something small, cold  
and metallic. His stomach churned at the movement, but he  
managed to haul himself to a sitting position and pressed the  
barrel of the gun against his temple. Sad deep blue eyes crossed  
his vision. In the man room, someone began trying to batter down  
the door.  
  
"Well, buddy, looks like I'll be seein' ya on the other side,"  
he muttered, pulling the trigger. The gun fell to the floor with  
a harsh clatter, even as Duo's body did the same. The thud of  
the motel door slamming open covered the sound of his body  
hitting the wall and sliding down to the floor.  
  
"Peace Keepers! Don't move!"  
***  
  
[1] As far as I have been able to discover, Quatre's father has  
no known first name. So I made one. ^^;; Sounds geeky, doesn't  
it? 


	4. Baby

Cracked Reflections 3/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Baby  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: 1x2x1 (background)  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes.  
(Can't say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Death  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.

Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....

Author Notes: Trowa. Was. HARD. >.< I have NEVER in my LIFE BR> done a Trowa-centric fic. (for various reasons, the big one   
being that he reminds me a little too much of myself for   
comfort. ^^;;) I've done 3x4x3, but those are almost always   
Quatre-oriented, and I've used Trowa as a prop-character, but   
never really used him in a meaningful way. So if this part   
sucks, it's entirely my fault. ^^;; 

*** September 19 AC 188 ***  
Reilly curled up on the window seat, staring at the   
lush gardens just beyond the glass. His auburn hair fell over   
his vibrantly green eyes as he relaxed, making him reach up   
irritably to brush the annoying locks away. Behind him, life   
in the Sanc Kingdom castle continued as usual.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider," someone pleaded.   
Reilly turned to look curiously as him mother followed the   
King of Sanc out of a room. He shrugged and turned back the   
window, eyes following their reflections in the glass. "I'm   
needed here, you can't just send your top advisor away   
because of a hunch!"

Peacecraft shook his head sadly, smoothing down his   
white-blonde beard. He looked down at the much younger woman   
paternally, icy blue eyes soft. "Eleina, I need your and your   
husband alive," he explained gently, placing once large hand   
on her shoulder. "Not dead from some assassin's knife."

"Heero Yuy is a pacifist!" Eleina argued forcefully,   
glaring up at the king. "He wouldn't order anyone killed!"

Peacecraft shook his head. "I wish I could believe   
you, I truly do. But he's ambitious, and ambitious men are   
dangerous."

"But ambitious pacifists aren't!" she yelled, dark   
hair falling into her green-gold eyes as she shook her head   
forcefully. "You both have the same goals, why aren't you   
working together?"

Reilly shook his head, snorting softly.

"You know, don't you, son?" the old king asked   
suddenly, turning to pierce the child with a knowing stare.   
He walked over to the window seat, sitting himself down   
beside the boy. Eleina followed with a grimace of distaste.

"Yes sir," Reilly told the man he had always   
considered his father. "You both want total pacifism, but you   
realize that the people will have to want it too before it'll   
work." He bit his lip, eyes narrowing in thought. "But that   
other man... Heero Yuy, he wants to force it on everybody,   
and that'll just make people want war more than ever."

The king smiled and ruffled the boy's cinnamon hair.   
"And that's why you'll be the next king, after me," he said   
proudly, grinning down at Reilly. "I couldn't have said it   
better myself."

Eleina frowned slightly at her son, fighting the urge   
to be proud that someone like his Majesty had chosen him to   
marry the Princess Relena and be king. 'It will only make him   
egotistical,' she reasoned, completely missing the slightly   
sad look Reilly cast at her. "But he was only repeating what   
you said!" she protested, crossing her arms and glaring at   
the pair.

"Exactly," Peacecraft said, standing up. "If   
Milliardo showed even some of the intelligence Reilly has, or   
even wanted the position, he'd be the next in line to be   
King. But Reilly here was able to repeat my words almost   
exactly, and understand them." He smiled sadly, staring   
Eleina down. "In a way that his mother doesn't."

"You're Majesty-" Eleina began hotly.

"No more." The Peacecraft said, holding up his hand   
for silence. In spite of herself, Eleina obeyed. "I want you   
and Reilly gone from the kingdom, to the palace in the Swiss   
Alps, within two weeks." He turned on his heel and marched   
away.

"What about Relena?" Eleina shouted after him.   
"Doesn't she deserve a chance to grow up with the man she's   
going to marry?"

Peacecraft turned slightly, smiling cheerlessly. "At   
this sad point in history, my dear, I fear that she will not   
be given the chance to grow up at all."

*** 3 weeks later ***  
"Reilly, I wish you'd talk to me," Eleina scolded her   
son mildly, holding him in her lap as they were driven   
through the scenic mountains of Switzerland. "You've barely   
said anything since we left."

Reilly turned to eyes his mother ruefully. "I want to   
go home," he told her, blinking back tears. 

"Oh, honey," she sighed, holding him tightly to.   
"We'll go home just as soon as we can, I promise." She kissed   
the top of his head, noticing that he almost didn't fit in   
her lap anymore. "The-" she was suddenly thrown against the   
side of the limo as a loud explosion ripped through the air.   
Instinctively, she curled around her son, who whimpered and   
clung to her.

The car flew through the air as another explosion hit   
it. Metal screeched in protest as it hit the guard rail.   
Reilly tumbled out of him mother's grip and rolled across the   
seat, his head cracking loudly against the window, which   
cracked, a faint smear of blood trickling down to the   
armrest. 

"Reilly!" Eleina screamed, feeling herself start to   
loose her grip on the seat. In mid fall she managed to twist   
her body around and avoid landing on her unconscious son.   
Something snapped in her shoulder, sending slashes of pain   
through her body. The car rocked again, tilting over the side   
of the mountain. As gravity finally took sway over the   
battered vehicle, Eleina curled around Reilly's body. She   
pulled him close, shutting her eyes and kissing his bloody   
forehead.

'God, if you're up there, save my baby' she prayed as   
the car finished going over the cliff and began to tumble and   
roll. Something smashed through the windshield, sending glass   
shards everywhere. Something burned across her face and   
throat, and then...

*** AC 188 (Exact day unknown) ***  
"He's coming around!"

"Poor kid, bein' nearly blown ta ity-bits like tha'."

"Sshh, Soren, he's awake."

Sleepy green eyes opened warily, wincing as the light   
tried to pierce his skull. The small boy, slender boy tried   
to sit up, but was pushed back down into soft sheets.

"Good mornin', bairn," a smiling woman with soft   
brown eyes told him. reaching down to brush his bangs out of   
his eyes, and out from under the bandage on his head. "And   
how would ye be doin' this fine mornin'?"

The child groaned, shutting his eyes tightly. "I feel   
horrible," he managed to whisper through a painfully dry   
throat.

Someone chuckled deeply. "You should kid. Not to many   
people survive a wreck like that and live to tell about it."   
A huge man with a bristling orange-red beard and a pair of   
pigtails entered his line of sight. It was hard to see his   
lips behind the beard, but the invalid child was sure that he   
was smiling.

"I- I did?" he asked, turning his head to look at the   
man more squarely. It was a bad idea, since it sent the room   
spinning around him. The child clenched his eyes shut and   
groaned, trying not to throw up.

Someone began to wipe his face down with a cool, damp   
cloth. "No sudden moves, wee one," the woman told him gently,   
her soft Scottish burr soothing the spin down to a mild   
twisting. "Tis a grand knock on the head ye got in that   
tumble."

"Wh- what happened?" he asked, looking up at the two   
people.

The big man looked slightly worried. "We were hoping   
you could tell us that," he answered. "And maybe your name   
while we were at it."

The boy frowned, resisting the urge to shake his   
head. "I don't know..." he said slowly. "I don't remember."

*** AC 194 ***  
"Bairn, ye're too young ta be after a leavin' the   
nest," Kara told him, following the boy out the door, brown   
eyes glimmering with tears. 

The tall, slender boy called Bairn shook his head and   
turned to look at her from beneath his auburn hair. "Kara,   
I..." He gave the woman a rib-cracking hug. "You- This all...   
It's been great, but I have things to do."

Kara clung to him, tears wetting the front of his   
shirt. "Ye'll leave an ol' widdow alone ta rot," she accused   
him. "And all jus' so ye c'n follow a dream ye ain't had in   
years!" 

"You know that isn't it," he told her softly,   
smoothing down her curly brown hair, which was liberally   
streaked with silver. "People need me, you saw the telecasts   
too. They're ruining lives, out there in the real world. I   
can't just sit by and watch."

"I know tha', child, but I don't have'ta like 'er,"   
she sobbed, looking up at the son she had never had. "Will ye   
at least tell yer Da what ye're about doin'?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I will."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Then I'll leave the two   
of ye alone," she whispered, letting go of his shirt and   
dashing back into the house.

Bairn turned hesitant green eyes to the small mound   
of upturned earth across the yard. He hadn't visited it since   
they had laid Soren to rest. The man had been a father to   
him, and the thought of never seeing his large, weathered   
face framed by two braids, or helping him chop wood, or   
turning sideways to slip past his wide frame in a narrow   
space... It left an empty spot inside of him, like not even   
the loss of his memories had caused. When he saw the telecast   
of what was happening on the outside, beyond the woods and   
mountains, he thought he'd found something to fill that place   
where Soren had resided. But now, after watching Kara's face   
crumple, he wasn't so sure.

With a heavy heart, he forced himself to walk up to   
the grave, eyes sliding over the rough headstone without   
really reading the words crudely chiseled into its surface.   
"Hello, Da," he began, kneeling down to play with the grass.   
"You always said that I should do what my dreams tells me...   
So I am. I'm leaving. An entire kingdom was just slaughtered,   
and I wasn't there to help." He took a breath, smiling   
slightly. "Ma thought I should tell you where I'm going,   
though I don't know why." Overhead, a bird twittered. "Watch   
her for me, you're the only thing she's got left now."

Bairn stood and shouldered his pack. "I love you, Da.   
Maybe one day I'll come back here and tell you about what I   
did." He walked off down the dirt road.

*** AC 198 ***  
Bairn knocked on the heavy wooden door, not even   
waiting for an answer before he walked into the room. Inside   
was nearly pitch black, but he made no attempt to turn on a   
light. 

"I'm surprised you knew how to find me," a deep,   
cultured voice told him from the shadows. Boots clicked on   
the stone flooring as someone stepped forward, his outline   
barely visible in the darkness. "Not everyone has the skill   
to even attempt such a feat."

"You're the one who had Heero Yuy killed."

The man chuckled warmly. "And how do you come to that   
conclusion?"

"Your organization is the only one that hasn't   
claimed credit for it," Bairn answered dryly. He leaned back   
against the wall and crossed his arms, emerald eyes sliding   
closed. "That's how I came to that conclusion."

There was a pause, and then a slow clapping sound   
filled the room, bouncing off the walls. "Impressive, young   
sir. How may I help you?"

Bairn smiled slightly. "You trained Killer. I want   
you to train me."

Shocked silence filled the room. "You wish to be an   
assassin?" the man asked finally, voice sounding strained.   
"You're too old to ever reach Killer's skill level, and you   
know how his story ended."

He nodded, even though the man in the darkness   
couldn't see the movement. "I know."

"Why?"

The question was so unexpected that Bairn's eyes flew   
open and he looked up, staring straight into the lightless   
room. "To do something."

"Normally, I would say no, but you..." For the first   
time since he'd entered the room, Bairn heard emotion in the   
man's voice. "You remind me of someone. Third door down the   
hall, marked with red."

Bairn nodded and turned to leave. He paused, hand   
hovering over the door knob. "What should I call you, sir?"

"I no longer have a name, but I used to be called   
Trieze."

He smiled and began to open the door. "Thank you,   
Trieze. You may call me Wanderer."

*** August 12 AC 200 ***  
Bairn, or Wanderer as he was now called, stood as the   
judge called his name. "Reilly Fannon, alias Bairn Than,   
alias Wanderer, you pled guilty to the premeditated murder of   
one Quatre Raberba Winner." The judge eyed Wanderer of over   
the rims of his glasses sternly. "Son, do you have anything   
to say for yourself?"

The guilty man bowed his head in thought, his hair   
casting a shadow over his face. For a second his lips   
twitched, and he looked up. "I wish he hadn't deserved to   
die," he stated calmly, green eyes placid and a small smile   
playing on his lips. He seemed to radiate calm, the soul-deep   
satisfaction of a person who is prepared and waiting for a   
fate they already know. "And I wish I had the chance to   
change the world again."

The judge leaned forward, brows furrowing. "Son, you   
know what your sentence is going to be, don't you?" At   
Wanderer's nod, he continued. "So why didn't you plea   
bargain?"

"Because I value some things more than my life," the   
auburn-haired boy replied softly. 

The silence in the courtroom was deafening, something   
almost unnatural for a room filled with reporters and   
camera-seekers. 

The judge smiled slightly, looking down at the papers   
in his hand. "If you were my own boy, I'd be proud of you,"   
he murmured so quietly that even the court reporter didn't   
hear it. Wander smiled and bowed his head. "Reilly Fannon,   
because of the crimes you have freely admitted to commiting,   
I am forced to sentence you to execution by lethal injection,   
effective immediately."

The bailiffs walked up to the defendent's stand,   
faces flatly expressionless.

"Wait!" someone called from the back of the   
courtroom. "Your Honor, may I speak with Mr. Fannon before he   
goes?" 

The judge looked startled, as did everyone else in   
the room. "Miss Winner, as the sister of the victim, I see no   
reason not to let you speak with him."

Iria smiled sadly and bowed her head. "Thank you,   
your Honor."

Everyone scattered around Wanderer as the sister of   
his murder victim moved towards him. The bailiffs looked at   
the judge uncertainly, stepping back when he nodded at them.

The blonde Winner daughter, the only surviving heir   
of the Winner financial empire, took a single step forward   
and wrapped her arms around the man who killed her brother in   
cold blood. Tears poured down her cheeks. Wanderer did his   
best to hug back, but was restrained by his handcuffs.

"Thank you," she whispered brokenly into his   
shoulder. "Thank you."

The tall, green-eyed killer bent his head down to   
whisper in her ear. "You're welcome." His face went blank as   
he stepped back, the only thing marring it with emotion was   
the small half smile. That smile stayed on his lips, even as   
he was led out of the courtroom.  
***


	5. Bloodstained Sands

Cracked Reflections 4/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Bloodstained Sands  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: 1x2x1 (background), 3+4+3 (suggested)  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes.  
(Can't say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Death, Bastardized Quatre (I think...), Language  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: This is... Short. Why? I have no clue. ^^;; Gomen  
ne, guys.  
  
*** February 23 AC 184 ***  
Edwin Winner carefully folded his clothing and placed it in  
the suitcase. He had refused outright to let someone do it for  
him. However, he was paying for that decision as his eldest  
daughter took the opportunity to lecture him. "Father!" she  
scolded, face serious for her 15 years of age. "You're going to  
miss Quatre's birthday!"  
  
The head of the Winner household turned to look at his  
daughter. Her curly golden hair fell over her shoulders, wisps  
escaping forward to tickle her nose. "Iria, you know I have to  
do this."  
  
Iria glared fiercely, blue eyes hard. "And you know that's not  
true!" she argued hotly. "Heero Yuy can do without you for ONE  
day. The peace isn't that damn fragile!"  
  
He stared at his daughter, who had her hands on her hips.  
"Iria, watch your tongue!"  
  
"No, Father, I won't!" she told him, eyes snapping with all  
the fire her skinny frame could muster. "We miss you! Quatre  
barely ever sees you!" She stepped forward and gave her father a  
hug. "We all miss you," she whispered. "And Quatre deserves to  
know his father."  
  
"Iria..." Edwin sighed and sat on the bed, holding his  
daughter. "I can't miss this meeting. You have to understand  
that Heero needs me to help keep the peace."   
  
She shook her head sadly, eyes downcast. "We need you more."  
  
Master Winner stood and snapped his suitcase closed. "Iria,  
I'm going, and that is final. I don't want to hear about this  
anymore."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
The door creaked a little as four year old Quatre crept out of  
his listening spot and ran down the hallway, tears streaming  
behind him.  
  
*** AC 190 ***  
"Master Quatre," the tutor said, his voice weary. "You know  
that I will not accept vulgarity in an answer. Who is  
responsible for the world-wide peace?" His student was silent.  
"Please, Quatre. I know you can answer this."  
  
Quatre shifted sullenly in his chair. "Why should I answer,  
Greg?" he asked quietly. "We all know what the answer is."  
  
"It's a formality," Greg told his pupil, placing a hand on his  
small shoulder. "I know how much you hate this subject, but I  
can't pass you until you answer the question properly."  
  
"I already told you that the ass hole Yuy's the one who  
created the God damned peace," the little blonde ten year-old  
snarled standing up. "I believe that this lesson ended fifteen  
minutes ago."  
  
"But-" the tutor began. "You still have your violin lessons!"  
  
The Winner son shook his head, eyes dark and stalked to the  
door. "I don't want to play the violin right now. You're  
dismissed."  
  
"You can't do that!"   
  
"I just did." Quatre slammed the door behind him. He strolled  
silently down the hallway, eyes dark and brooding.  
  
"Master Quatre?" one of his keepers asked him, appearing  
around a corner. Picking up her long skirts to keep up with her  
charges pace, she looked at the boy worriedly. A strand of  
silvering blonde hair escaped the tidy braid she wore it in.  
"Master Quatre, your father will be arriving home in two hours,  
with Mater Yuy. Shouldn't you be preparing for their arrival?"  
  
He snorted sourly. "As if they care about me, either of them."  
  
"Sir-" she tried, but was cut off when Quatre stopped  
suddenly. She nearly fell in an attempt to avoid bumping him.  
  
"If my father wants to see me, I'll be in my room," the tiny  
blonde boy told her, shoulders stiff. "That's all. Go."  
  
"But-"  
  
He turned and glared at her, eyes so dark they seemed black.  
"I said LEAVE!"  
  
The aging woman turned and fled.  
  
*** July 8 AC 192 EARTH***  
The Winner family plot in the graveyard was silent except for  
the sound of the wind blowing gently over the tombstones, and  
birds chirping in the trees. It was a bright summer day, filled  
with sunshine and green growing things. Looking at the place  
now, no one would have realized that there had been a funeral  
service held there less than a week ago.   
  
Quatre Raberba Winner sat on a bench, staring numbly at the  
twenty-nine new stones, all dated 07-04-192. His eyes were red,  
and his clothing was mussed. It looked as though he hadn't slept  
in a week. There was a slight crunch of grass being crushed as a  
person entered the secluded area. He was followed by two men in  
dark suits, who positioned themselves at the gate. The new  
arrival paused before the graves for a moment in respect, his  
dark brown suit turning black in the shade of an ancient cypress  
tree. After saying a soft prayer, he turned and sat beside  
Quatre on the bench.  
  
Quatre looked up at the man and smiled sadly. " Good  
afternoon, Mr. Yuy."  
  
Heero Yuy placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it  
softly. His own brown eyes were red as well, and there were  
slight bags under them. "Quatre, I'm very sorry for your loss."  
  
The last remaining Winner male's smile fell, and he returned  
his gaze to his father's grave. "Thank you, sir. That means a  
lot, coming from you."  
  
Heero followed the boy's eyes, and his hand fell down to his  
side. He felt helpless, watching the child try and deal with so  
much grief. "At least you survived," he said at last. "It's a  
miracle that you didn't ingest enough of the poison to kill you.  
Have they found the culprit yet?"  
  
"They know who he is, but they won't catch him." A small smile  
touched Quatre's lips, but it slid away so quickly that Heero  
didn't see it. "Killer is not an easy man to find. And it's not  
a miracle of any sort. The assassin just didn't know that I  
don't like clam chowder." He rubbed his eyes with the back of  
his hand tiredly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Yuy, if I seem curt. I should  
probably get some sleep."  
  
"No, no, son," Heero hastened to assure the boy. "I understand  
completely, after everything you've been through." He stood and  
adjusted his jacket, deciding to leave the boy to his grief. "I  
have a meeting to get to. Again, I'm very sorry." He turned and  
walked away, head bowed.  
  
Quatre watched the Saviour of the World leave, eyes hooded.  
When he could no longer see Heero, he stood rubbing his eyes.   
  
"I think I used too much soap," he muttered, wincing a little  
and cracking his neck. "I had better get back home before Iria  
gets out of the hospital and finds the hemlock in the kitchen."  
Turning back to the graves, he smiled slightly. "Bye, and thanks  
for the money!"  
  
*** January 13 AC 199 ***  
Quatre sat himself down at the negotiations table, black suit  
neatly pressed. All around the table the press gathered, cameras  
flashing and film rolling. At his elbow, Iria seated herself  
soft, staying a careful distance away from her younger brother.  
Quatre glanced at his sister amusedly, smiling a little as she  
inched away from him, unconsciously rubbing her left wrist.  
  
He leaned over the arm of his chair, lips brushing her ear. "I  
only fractured it," he whispered. "Stop acting like I threw you  
through a wall."  
  
Iria glared at her brother, who had shot up in height since  
their childhood and now towered over her. She opened her mouth  
to argue, but the playful glint in his eye stopped her. Instead,  
she shrank back into her chair and folded her hands in her lap,  
cornflower blue eyes staring at them nervously.  
  
The blonde boy snorted and settled back into his seat. "I  
thought so." Something in the gathered crowd caught his  
attention. Someone was slipping between people quietly, someone  
without a camera or a microphone. He was quietly working his way  
to the front of the masses, auburn hair swept forward to hide  
his eyes. The young multi-trillionaire found himself wondering  
what the color of those eyes were. Without realizing what he was  
doing, Quatre leaned forward, eyes intent upon the man, the face  
less person in a crowd of similar people. The man stopped  
moving, looking up as if he felt someone watching him. His eyes  
fell on Quatre, brilliantly green eyes meeting dark turquoise  
ones for a brief second.  
  
Something thundered to a stop inside the blonde, freezing him  
solidly in his seat. Even as he watched the man pull a gun out  
of his coat, he found himself locked in place. The killer locked  
eyes with him again. In spite of himself, Quatre left a small  
smile trace his lips. His eyes slid shut even as the sound of a  
bullet being fired echoed through the crowded room.  
*** 


	6. Tattered Dreams

Cracked Reflections 5/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Tattered Dreams  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: 1x2x1 (background), 3+4+3 (suggested), 5xMerian  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes. (Can't  
say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: Het, Yaoi, Death, Angst  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: No yaoi in this part. No YAOI in this part. No matter  
how many times I say it, I STILL can't believe it... I must be ill.  
(wanders off to check her temperature)  
  
*** AC 196 ***  
  
"You're WHAT?!" Wufei slammed his fist down onto the   
table, staring at the slender Chinese girl sitting across from   
him. His wife of two years never ceased to amaze him, but this   
was beyond anything he had ever thought possible. "Merian, please   
tell me this is a joke." Behind wire rim glasses, jet colored   
eyes stared at Merian pleadingly.  
  
She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled   
serenely. "Wufei, I'm surprised that you hadn't noticed before,"   
Merian teased him gently, standing up to wrap her scholarly   
husband in a hug from behind, nibbling gently on his ear. "Is it   
really so much of a surprise? The way we-"  
  
She was cut off by a blushing Wufei. "Yes is IS!" he   
yelped, turning around to glare at his wife. She knew what that   
ear nibble did to him, and was undoubtedly using it to get her   
way. Unfortunately, it was working. "Couldn't you have at least   
talked to me first?" he asked softly, pulling her close.  
  
Merian laughed and snuggled into his arms, rubbing her   
nose into his loose white shirt. "I didn't exactly have a choice   
with the timing, Wu," she giggled, pressing a quick kiss against   
his cheek.  
  
Wufei was silent for a long moment. "You don't have to   
go through with this, you know," he finally whispered into her   
hair. "There are... options..."  
  
"I know." The admission was almost in audible. "But I   
want to." Merian looked up at her husband with smiling eyes.   
Grabbing his hand, she pressed it against her lower abdomen,   
which was just beginning to show her condition. "Say hello to   
your baby, Wu."  
  
His knees gave out. Wufei found himself kneeling on the   
floor, pressing his forehead against his wife's stomach. Tears   
tracked their way down his cheeks, catching on the bottoms rims   
of his glasses and glittering in the false sunlight that shone   
through the window. "Hello," he murmured around the lump in his   
throat to the tiny life they had created. "Hello."  
  
*** April 16 AC 197 ***  
"Damn it, somebody tell me what the HELL'S GOING ON?!"   
Wufei roared at a hapless nurse, who just happened to be walking   
by at the time. He gripped the front of her uniform and pulled   
the poor woman closer until they were nose to nose. In the   
background, a woman screamed in pain. "What's happening to my   
wife?"  
  
The nurse pushed at his chest, fear flashing in her green   
eyes. "Please, Mr. Chang, I don't know..." She pried at the   
death-grip he had on her shirt. "Please, I can't help you if you   
don't let me go!"  
  
Wufei let go, sending the nurse stumbling back. She   
looked up into his furious eyes and scurried off. The worried   
young man resumed his pacing.  
  
As the time passed, the screams that shook the walls of   
the waiting room got louder and more intense. It seemed like it   
dragged on for days, but four hours after he accosted the nurse,   
they stopped. Wufei spun around as a doctor entered the empty   
room and coughed, dark eyes downcast.  
  
"Chang Wufei?" he asked softly.  
  
Wufei nodded, something unnameable clawing at the pit of   
his stomach. "Yes?"  
  
"They're twins," the doctor began, a forced smiled   
touching his lips briefly. "Two healthy babies, a boy and a   
girl."  
  
"What about Merian?" he demanded, knees starting to   
shake. 'Something is wrong,' his subconscious screamed. 'Wrong   
wrong WRONG!'  
  
The silence echoed in the room as the physician met his   
eyes for the first time, tears glittering in their corners.  
  
"No." His shining black hair flew through the air as   
Wufei shook his head in denial, steadily increasing the speed   
until it felt like his neck was going to break in two.  
  
"We tried everything we could, but we lost her," the   
doctor murmured, looking away. "I'm very sorry for your loss."  
  
"No." Wufei slid down into a chair, leaning forward until   
his forehead pressed against his knees. "No, no no,   
nonononoNONONONONONOOOOO!" His scream shook through the delivery   
ward of the L5 hospital, mingling faintly with two small cries of   
new life.  
  
*** June AC 197 ***  
An elderly oriental woman wearing a white fighting gi and   
a frilly pink apron maneuvered her way through the study door,   
balancing a tray on one hand and a knee while she worked the   
knob. "Wufei, I brought you some soup."  
  
"Hn," Wufei grunted, not even looking up from his view   
out the window. His skin was sallow, and the way his bones   
protruded slightly made it obvious that he hadn't been eating.   
"Thank you, Aunt Tai," he murmured, mustering a faint smile.  
  
Tai set the tray down on a stool and settled down beside   
her nephew in law on the window seat, resting a tiny hand on his   
knee. "Wufei," she stared, and then shook her head. "This won't   
be easy, but it's been two months. She's not coming back."  
  
Wufei sighed and turned to look at her with pain tinged   
eyes. "I know that Aunt. I've known it for a while now."  
  
She was quiet for a moment. "Then why..?"  
  
"Am I still in mourning?" Wufei finished for her,   
bitterness etching a line between his brows. "I loved her, Aunt.   
Why should I not mourn my wife's passing?"  
  
"Because there are two infants in the nursery who haven't   
seen their father in over a week," she answered gently. "Both   
miniature replicas of the love you lost." Patting his knee, Tai   
stood. "You're in pain, child, but don't let it hurt the ones who   
deserve it least."  
  
He watched her walk out of the room, eyes flat. After   
several long moments, Wufei stood and left his study. On the   
desk, the soup started to cool.  
  
*** September 16 AC 197 (Time: 1130 hours) ***  
Wufei laughed as his daughter, Lian, stared somberly at   
the bowl of cereal that was on her head. Next to her, her brother   
Liang burbled and drummed his chubby little fists on the counter.   
It had been the hardest thing he'd ever done on that day in June,   
to pull himself away from his grief and visit his children. But   
he had done it, and now he enjoyed the results. It still hurt,   
looking into their little eyes and seeing his wife staring back   
at him, but he was learning to accept it a little more every day.  
  
It was the six month anniversary of the twin's birth.   
Aunt Tai decided that it was time for their first visit to   
Merian's grave. She had offered to take Wufei as well, but he had   
refused.   
  
Helping to wash the babies up after their meal, Wufei   
couldn't help but ponder about the changes his life had undergone   
since that day in June. Tai, old as she was, had become a second   
mother to him, and his children had done much to heal the hole   
left by Merian's death.  
  
"Wufei, are you sure..?" Tai began to ask for the fifth   
time, looking up at her nephew in law with worried black eyes.  
  
He smiled sadly back at her. "No thank you, Aunt."  
  
Tai surprised him by reaching up and hugging him. "I   
understand."  
  
*** September 16 AC 197 (Time: 1526 hours) ***  
Wufei was the only one at home when the vidphone rang.   
Frowning, he picked up the receiver. His black eyes widened   
slightly as the screen blinked to life, showing an oriental man   
in a white lab coat on the other end of the connection. An ID tag   
was attached to his pocket, naming him Dr. Xi-Wang.  
  
"Chang Wufei?" the doctor asked carefully, face   
expressionless.  
  
His stomach freezing into an icy knot, Wufei managed to   
nod shakily. "I am he."   
  
"Mr. Chang, I'm afraid there's been an accident..."  
  
*** October AC 200 ***  
Two people peered through a tiny window set in a barred   
and locked door. One of them, a woman in a dark blue suit, shook   
her head sadly and looked away. "He's not improving."  
  
The other person stared at her, aghast. He flipped long   
black bangs out of his eyes and glared. "Erika, give him time!"  
  
"He's been here for three years, Mike!" Erika argued,   
waving a file under Mike's nose. "Every doctor who's seen him   
says the same thing. It's permanent!"  
  
He snarled at her. "So you'll just put him to sleep, like   
an animal?" he asked, straightening his shoulders. His eyes   
snapped brown fire as he faced off against the woman.   
  
"He is an animal," she told him softly, touching his   
shoulder. Her blue eyes stared pleadingly into his. "It's the   
law, and it's the only human thing to do."  
  
"Humane-?!" Mike sputtered.  
  
"Yes, humane. Look into that room, and tell me that you   
honestly think there's still hope for him."  
  
Mike looked down at the hand on his shoulder, and then   
through the glass. His shoulders sagged. "I can't..."  
  
"I thought so." Erika took one last glance inside the   
room before turning away.  
  
"WAIT!" Mike yelled after her. "If you lost your wife and   
kids the way he did, wouldn't you be-"  
  
"Like he is?" Erika interrupted, twisting around.   
"Practically comatose? Completely out of reality?" She didn't   
even stop to think about her reply. "No, I wouldn't. I'm stronger   
than that." She resumed her march down the hallway, pausing to   
mark the words 'scheduled for euthanasia' on a clipboard before   
leaving.  
  
Mike stared through the glass at the forlorn figure   
huddled in a corner of the room, staring blankly at a wall.   
  
"I'm sorry, Wufei," the young orderly said. "I tried to   
save you."  
  
Wufei just kept staring at the wall.  
*** 


	7. Memories that Never Happened

Cracked Reflections Epilogue/5+ Epilogue & Prologue  
Memories that Never Happened  
Rating: R  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Genre: AU/Angst  
Pairings: 1x2x1 (background), 3+4+3 (suggested), 5xMerian  
Spoilers: Yes, but only of you can recognize the changes. (Can't  
say more or I'll ruin the story.)  
Warnings: (for the whole fic now!) Het, Yaoi, Death, Angst, AU   
(in a weird way), Violence, Suggested NCS, Prostitution,   
Suicide, Drugs, Bastardized Quatre (I think...), Language, and   
Generalized Freaky Things  
By Moon Faery  
Archived: (eventually at) Moon Faery's Garden  
(http://www.geocities.com/moon_faerys_garden/); FFN  
(http://www.fanfiction.net); Kiss of Death [my new site!]  
(http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/kissofdeath/); anywhere  
else that asks nicely.  
  
Disclaimer: A statement created solely to save one's ass  
from becoming lawn for the proverbial legal mower. I do not  
own Gundam Wing, nor does anyone I know own it. However,  
this story line and plot are MINE. (Holds fic close to  
her.) Grrrr....  
  
Author Notes: Suggested listening for this fic (I know, it's a   
lil late, ne?). WARNING: this is mainly country. Second warning:   
it may not necessarily fit with the plot, which is why this   
isn't a song fic. ^^;; These are just the main songs that I   
listened to while writing this.  
  
Prologue - Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old) by Garth Brooks  
1 - A Night to Remember by SheDaisy  
2 - The Promised Land by Joe Diffie; Fancy by Reba McEntire (sp?)  
3 - Lightning Does the Work by Chad Brock  
4 - Independence Day by Martina Mcbride  
5 - In Lonesome Dove by Garth Brooks  
Epilogue - The Mirror Song by Thomas Dolby from the Toys Soundtrack  
  
*** AC 195 ***  
The alarm clock buzzed loudly from across the room,   
snapping Duo back into reality. "What the hell..? God damn, that   
was a weird ass dream..." Twisting around in his chair, he looked   
at the clock. "An hour? I've been sitting here for an hour?"   
Shifting around in his chair he stood, wincing slightly as his   
spine made an awful cracking sound. Ignoring the sharp pain that   
radiated from his lower back, he padded over to the bed and gently   
shook Heero after slapping the alarm off.  
  
"Heero, c'mon, it's been an hour. You've gotta wake up..."   
Frowning worriedly at the lack of response, he shook his lover   
harder. "Heero, wake up!"  
  
Heero's face scrunched up tiredly, but he opened blearily   
blue eyes to glare at Duo. "I'm awake," he grumbled, trying to sit   
up.  
  
Duo frowned a little more and slipped an arm under him to   
help. "How're you feeling?" he asked, placing a few extra pillows   
behind the wounded boy's back.   
  
"Like I didn't want to be woke up." Heero glanced at Duo   
out of the corner of his eye and smiled a little. "Better."  
  
"Oi, Heero, give a guy a heart attack, why don't ya?" Duo   
joked, slipping back onto the bed and snuggling up against the   
other boy, carefully resting his head on the only uninjured part of   
him: his lap. "Imagine, you, joking! The guys'll never believe it!"  
  
Heero smirked a little more and chucked, fingers reaching   
down to brush Duo's cheek. "If you don't tell them that I joked, I   
won't tell them that you spent an hour staring at that mirror..."   
Taking a quick look at the mirror in question, he tensed up, eyes   
widening slightly as he stared.  
  
Turning his head a little, Duo nibbled on the tip of   
Heero's finger. "Deal." He looked up at Heero, grin falling off his   
face when he saw the other pilot's stunned expression. "Heero?   
What's wrong? Does something hurt?"  
  
Heero was quiet for several long seconds. Finally he spoke.   
"Duo... did you break the vanity mirror?"  
  
Blinking in confusion, Duo replied, "No."  
  
"Then why is it cracked?"  
  
Without think about what he was doing Duo sat up in bed,   
gemlike eyes going to the other side of the bedroom. Like Heero had   
said, it was cracked in a spider web style, radiating outward from   
the center like someone had punched it. What Heero hadn't mentioned   
was the rivulets of bright red dripping down it, lining the cracks   
in blood. Gory hand prints streaked across it in desperate-seeming   
patterns.  
  
"Oh my God..." Duo breathed quietly. The dream he had while   
staring at that mirror came back to him with complete clarity.   
Shivering, Duo curled up into a ball, still staring at the mirror.  
  
"Duo..?" Heero's voice sounded far away. "Duo, what   
happened?"  
  
Turning dilated violet eyes to his lover, the American   
barely managed to choke out, "A miracle."  
***OWARI 06.24.02*** 


End file.
